Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-03
NEEDED REEORM.
The Next Legislature VIII BE Asked to
Regulate tn. Use of Text Books.

The Next Legislature VIII Be Asked to
Regulate the Use of Tent Books.
VERNON, Ten, Jan. l, 1887.
To the Editor of the Gazette.
Whatever the public good requires the
public demands. A just reform, once
started, is destined to move ike glacier
onward, even though it has to uproot
sturdy oaks and displace giant boulders.
Such a reform in the use of textbooks in
the schools of Texas is now needed and
will be demanded by our people ere an
other half decade passes away. Grapsi,
in your issue of the 90th ut, sounded
the key-notes at the proper time just be-
fore the meeting of the next legislature of
Texas.
The war is over and we are reconciled
to its results-yea proud Of the thrift ana
prosperity of the South since lS65-but
"desr to me are the home of
my childhood and the traditions OF
my people," and it is Just
ard right to demand q correct
and impartial history of the cause and
events of the great brother war in which
So m ny noole lives were lost fighting to
maintain the principles they believed to
be right Should not superintendent,
teachers and in fact the whole people
come to the front and expel from our
schools the partial histories: and partial
works on English literature from our
state?
From where and whom do we get the
books in which the children of the south
are being taught the history of
our country and people? Blessed
history! [ answer from the North, who
took arms against US. Is this right, is it
just, fair, they having been reared in the
North. taught in political school diamet-
rical to ours? Give US fair account of the
late lamented trouble. To err is hu-
man, and that innate principle of selfish
ness that pervades every human beart is
ever living, and | might say ever present
in the histories of the United States we
are using in our public schools in Texas
to-day.
Nearly all, yes, quite all, the histories,
readers, elocutiOns, speakers and works
on Euglish literature are written and
compiled by men IN the North, and
whose principles, from their natural en-
vironmeDts, are contrary TO ours on the
great questions which caused so much
0loodshed in the lat war. Can we
expect to receive an impartial account
from such a biased fountainf No. Do
we censure the authors? No; for that
would be suicidal.
We must look to our next legislature
for remedy. Would it not be wisdom
for that body to devise a means by which
q series Of text books on each branch of
the public school curriculum could be
adopted anG used throughout the state,
say for five years, beginning with the
scholastic year A. D. 1888, or require
each county to do so.
As the county Judge usually has enough
to do besides locking after the school in
tertsts Of his county, would 1t not be
sensible in that body, in their wisdom, to
amend the school law so as to give each
county county superintendent, and re-
Qulre him 10 give good bond for the
faithful performance of such duties as
they may prescribe. This would elevate
the profession of teaching, and exclude
great many unqualified teachers from its
ranks. The certificates granted to teach
ers from a great many counties |
are insignificant of the bear
er's qualifications as a teacher, |
The examination is q farce. But l am |
trespassing. The fact is, the public veal
AMI the public will demands complete |
renovation of our free school law. Com |
mon sense, common go cd, and the COM
mon need require that our common
schools sustained by the state of Texas,
should do their part in teaching to our
children correct history of the United
States and especially an impartial history
of the lost cause. Down with impartial
and readers. Let faithful and !
just history be taught to our boys and
girls and handed down to generations.
DEvI.